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FTP and SFTP Configuration
When configuring FTP and SFTP, go to these sections for information you are interested in:
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Introduction to FTP and SFTP
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FTP Configuration
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SFTP Configuration
Introduction to FTP and SFTP
Introduction to FTP
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is commonly used in IP-based networks to transmit files. Before World
Wide Web comes into being, files are transferred through command lines, and the most popular
application is FTP. At present, although E-mail and Web are the usual methods for file transmission,
FTP still has its strongholds.
As an application layer protocol, FTP is used for file transfer between remote server and local client.
FTP uses TCP ports 20 and 21 for data transfer and control command transfer respectively. Basic FTP
operations are described in RFC 959.
FTP-based file transmission is performed in the following two modes:
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Binary mode for program file transfer
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ASCII mode for text file transfer
A 3com switch 4500 can act as an FTP client or the FTP server in FTP-employed data transmission:
Table 1-1
Roles that a 3com switch 4500 acts as in FTP
Item
Description
Remarks
FTP server
An Ethernet switch can operate as an FTP server to
provide file transmission services for FTP clients. You
can log in to a switch operating as an FTP server by
running an FTP client program on your PC to access
files on the FTP server.
FTP client
In this case, you need to establish a connection
between your PC and the switch through a terminal
emulation program or Telnet, execute the
ftp
X.X.X.X
command on your PC. (X.X.X.X is the IP address of an
FTP server or a host name), and enter your user name
and password in turn. A switch can operate as an FTP
client, through which you can access files on the FTP
server.
The prerequisite is
that a route exists
between the switch
and the PC.
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With a 3com switch 4500 serving as an FTP server, the seven-segment digital LED on the front
panel of the switch rotates clockwise when an FTP client is uploading files to the FTP server (the
3com switch 4500), and stops rotating when the file uploading is finished, as shown in
Figure 1-1
.
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With a 3com switch 4500 serving as an FTP client, the seven-segment digital LED on the front
panel of the switch rotates clockwise when the FTP client (the 3com switch 4500) is downloading
